Race With a Heart
Chapter 73: Steel Clouds in the Sky

Chapter 73: Steel Clouds in the Sky

Steel, dense clouds hung in the sky, threatening not only with rain, but also downpour. In his car, Steve Paxton could see only the black track, the gray sky and the traffic lights that will turn red in a few moments.

There was no one before him. Everyone was behind him. Steve felt no pride or even great satisfaction that he had won the pole position. If he had allowed himself this type of emotion, he would have lost focus and the race was about to begin. The time for joy will come when he wins.

Paxton was not afraid of the rain. He trusted Allen’s judgment, and he and Jack drove out onto the track on slick tires. Lambert warmed the engine right behind him. This time they started from the first and third places, that is they moved one position. Again, they were the only drivers in the same stable to win places in the first two lines. They’ve been good this season. They were damn good and had a chance to win the overall classification for their stable. Old Fergus deserved to live to see that title.

In this race, Steve will be looked at by millions of eyes around the world. The audience gathered in the stands and the one in front of TV screens. They will look at him and judge him. Some will admire, others will curse him. Paxton, however, felt no pressure on himself because of this. There was he, the car and the track. There were only one eyes in the world that mattered to him, and Steve knew they would be watching him closely.

For that one pair of eyes, Steve will give his best today in the most beautiful race of his life.

The lights started coming on ...

They took off.

The camera clearly showed the start and the commentator excitedly commented that Jack Lambert had already taken second place at the start! What a phenomenal start for the Fergus Stables!

" Hooray!" the three young men gathered in front of the TV set in chorus. The start was very important, because a good driver and a good machine allowed to escape without having to engage in duels on the track. The week before, Jack was unlucky, but today he really ran away right after Steve. The two red and yellow cars were clearly in the lead in the first straight.

"Come on, Jack, come on!" Dave enthusiastically cheered on. "You can overtake Paxton!"

At that moment, Martin felt a slight twinge of dislike towards his friend. Can any of his friends cheer against Steve? He can’t! Absolutely not!

But the boys didn’t know Steve personally and they did know Jack. Wasn’t that reason enough for them to take Lambert’s side and cheer him on the most?

Martin quickly forgot about the competition between the two drivers. Jack was really great on the track and in life and definitely deserved the support of the fans. And it’s very good that he still had fans who were still in high school.

The start of the grid got a little boring for TV as Steve and Jack had a smooth lead. Paxton hit the gas so hard he even escaped Lambert, so nothing happened in the top two spots. The camera focused on the fight for third place, where Andrea Feretti, the winner of the previous race (and last season), unexpectedly, after losing second place, had to fight to keep third.

Martin shook his head slightly as he listened. He got the impression that the engine in Feretti’s car did not sound as it should.

"Something’s wrong with the Feretti’s drive unit," Martin muttered to himself.

Teddy might have poor eyesight, but good hearing.

"You hear it?" The old man leaned over to Martin and asked softly.

"I think so. I’m not sure. It seems to me ... that his engine speed sometimes drops ... "

For the new season, each stable and each constructor prepared some new technical solutions so as not to be left behind the competition. The first races were a real test of them. It looked like Fergus’s Stable had hit the jackpot this season.

"I can’t believe Belindez was not punished with a race ban" muttered suddenly, very displeased Dave. The driver’s car that had deprived Paxton of the chance to win has just appeared on the screen. Sometimes the camera operator also showed the very end of the stake.

Everyone already knew the result of the investigation and the commission’s decision. The novice, completely focused on what was in front of him, was deemed not to have actually noticed that he was being duplicated by Paxton. When everyone started shouting at him, he panicked. Without waiting for the outcome of the investigation, Belindez and his stable offered an official apology. The driver got a fine and was pulled back to the last starting position, which everyone knew made no difference.

Martin was not embittered by the committee’s decision. This was what he expected. He didn’t think it was an unfair decision. He wasn’t going to dwell on what was. He preferred to focus on what is now and what will be.

And it looked like Steve was calmly racing towards his first win of the season.

At this point it started to sprinkle.

Everyone held their breath. Even the commentator fell silent for a moment.

At this point in the race, the rain could have completely turned things around.

"May it not rain, may it not rain, may it not rain ..." Dave began a pleading litany.

It wasn’t raining yet. It was a threat so far. Even so, the camera clearly showed consternation at some of the stables. Abe Allen did not lose his composure. They were just single drops.

"May it not rain ..." Dave repeated like a spell, like a mantra.

Martin was surprised to find that he was not as worried as Dave or Sid, who was also staring at the sky on the TV screen with bated breath. The weather in just a minute could change the fate of the race, but Martin knew the mechanics at Fergus Stables and trusted them to make the right decision.

Heaven couldn’t decide whether it was going to rain down on the ground or whether it wanted to hold back. Meanwhile, it was almost time for the pit stop.

"What would your decision be if you were to decide on the tires?" Teddy asked.

"Slicks."

"Why? Don’t you think it’s too much of a risk? "

"Logically, you can risk intermediates, but with such a heavy cloud you will have either all or nothing. Intermediates will slow down drivers, and when it is loose, they will have to switch to wet ones. On slicks you can now gain an advantage over intermediates, and then together with all change into wet. "

"No middle ground?" Teddy made sure.

"In this situation - no," Martin announced boldly.

The old man nodded appreciatively again.

As it turned out, Abe Allen was thinking exactly the same as Martin, and although it was still sprinkling, both drivers of his stable replaced the tires with slicks.

"Wow, Martin, you really know the drift!" Sid noted appreciatively, and it was perhaps the first time in days that he had spoken to Martin from hi own free will, not forced by the question.

The compliment clearly intimidated Martin.

"Ehm, thanks. I learned a lot at the Fergus Stables. "

"I would like that too ..."

Most stables also chose tires for dry surfaces, but there were also those that went safely and chose intermediates. These were clearly starting to lose as the rain still couldn’t decide to pounce. It even stopped sprinkling.

The race was already approaching its final stage. Steve would be the first to start the mirror maneuver.

For anger, Belindez was the first to be taken.

Dave began to swear under his breath, but it turned out that Belindez wasn’t going to make any difficulties this time. He let Paxton pass without a trace of delay.

The problems started later.

"What the hell is this ?!" Dave exclaimed furiously. "What is this? Do they think car racing is fun in kindergarten? "

Dave’s indignation was absolutely basic, as the two drivers who were about to be mirrored by Paxton had just got into a fight for a higher position.

"What are they doing ?!" exclaimed Dave.

He was not the only one who was very moved by the situation. The commentator also expressed his dissatisfaction. Sure, the fight for thirteenth position is important for the players at the end of the stake, but they are not allowed to fight it when they are doubled and interfere with the fight for victory!

"Are these new drivers crazy ?!" Dave was really furious.

"Richardsen is not new ..." Martin remarked, feeling his frustration and foreboding building up inside him. This is the second race in two where Steve loses precious seconds due to duplicate drivers. Formerly Belindez, now Richardsen ... But while Belindez was green as spring grass, Richardsen should have known perfectly well that he had a duty to give way to his duplicate driver instead of getting into a fight for a higher position.

Especially since he had a chance to attack before, but he didn’t. It’s like he waited for Steve to appear behind him.

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